Duke Energy Foundation awards Indiana nonprofits $315,000 in community impact grants

Twenty-one Indiana nonprofit organizations are receiving $315,000 in Duke Energy Foundation grants to make a difference in their communities. Their projects range from a holiday food drive for the needy in Howard County to Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra concerts for elementary students from around the state.

“It’s an honor for us to help support these nonprofit organizations as they bring life, health and vitality to their communities,” said Melody Birmingham-Byrd, Duke Energy state president for Indiana. “We are dedicated to supporting initiatives that enhance the regions where our customers live, work and play.”

Top grant recipients include:

• Food Finders Food Bank, Inc., in Howard County, $50,000 to provide additional food during the high-need holiday season
• Indiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc., $50,000 to advance workforce development goals
• Indiana Symphony Society, Inc., $30,000 to support Discovery Concerts, offered to third- through sixth-grade students
• Indiana Special Olympics, Inc., $20,000 to support the Olympic Town summer games for contestants with intellectual disabilities
• Indiana University Southeast, $17,500 to help build nonprofit capacity in Southern Indiana through a professional development conference and on-site consulting
• Heart of Rushville in Rushville, Ind., $16,500 to create a park in memory of Carol Jenkins-Davis, a young woman who lost her life due to a racially motivated crime
• Arts Council of Southern Indiana, $10,000 to help fund creation of Art on Wheels, a mobile van that will travel in Clark, Harrison and Floyd counties, delivering interactive art experiences to children under age 18
• YMCAs of the Wabash Valley, $15,000 to support a youth food delivery program, helping feed approximately 400 school-age children during the two-week winter holiday break
• Arts and Cultural Council, Decatur County, $12,000 for the Rebekah Park amphitheater, providing a permanent location for arts and cultural events
• Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, Greene County, $12,000 for a traveling foundry program to support STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programs

About Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work. In 2017, the foundation donated more than $2 million to nonprofit organizations in Indiana.

The foundation’s education focus spans kindergarten to career – particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) – as well as early childhood literacy and workforce development. The foundation also supports environmental projects and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit http://www.duke-energy.com/foundation.